Off to the Coast!

With all the tearing down to get the rig fixed, and cold, rainy weather forecast for Friday, we decided to roll a day early (actually our original plan) and head out from the Dallas Arlington KOA.

Pretty uneventful ride except for bumper to bumper traffic in Austin. Carmen and Sloopy are terrific to travel with, just curl up on the back seat and "let us know when it's time to get up."

Got about 5 hours down I-35 to a little north of San Antonio, where we'll stay in a Wal Mart overnight.  Up tomorrow, and our new home for six months:  Sea Breeze RV Resort.

Homeless (for about an hour)

Well, our first major "we've got to keep it overnight" repair happened to the rig yesterday.  As we changed the tire that blew on the way into Dallas, we noticed that the leaf spring was broken that supports the frame.  Not good.

We did a tear down on Sunday, but kept everything that normally rides in the truck on the site at the Dallas Arlington KOA.  We made reservations at the Candlewood Suites in Arlington because they were pet friendly, and had a full kitchen available in the suite.

Could have been one, two or three nights max, so we packed clothes accordingly.  Cleaned out the whole fridge and freezer, took a few kitchen essentials and headed out Monday morning for Dan's Auto Repair to drop the rig off.

We got Dan's info from the KOA's info flyer, and they were prompt to call back when we initially called.  About all you have to go on, other than internet reviews when you're in a different city.

After we dropped the rig off, we were suddenly homeless.  Room wouldn't be ready at the Candlewood Suites, and we were just driving around in the truck.  A truly weird feeling with no place to go.  Fortunately, the room was ready around 10a, they let us check in, and we didn't have to sit in the McDonald's parking lot too long after breakfast.

We weren't sure how Carmen and Sloopy would react in a hotel room.  They both chirped a few times (to our horror), but quickly got accustomed to their new surroundings.  We were able to work the rest of the afternoon from there, watched the Urban Meyer presser and Monday Night Football.

With good fortune, all parts were available, installation was successful and we were able to pick the rig up this morning (Tuesday).  Back to the Dallas Arlington KOA for a few more nights before heading to Corpus Christi and the Sea Breeze RV Resort for the rest of the winter.

OK with us if it's the last time, but now we know we can handle major repairs to the rig.

Cleaning Out the Truck

So it's the day before Tear Down Day (which is the day before Get Away Day), kind of cloudy and overcast here at the Indianapolis KOA.  Perfect day to clean out the inside of the truck.
Been awhile since we vacuumed, put on the Formula 2001, etc.  We're starting to see that all the people here for the weekend are kind of staring.  Think about it.  People come to these parks to get away from the mundane cleaning, etc. that they do at home.  And here are these idiots (us!) that look like they come out for a weekend and clean the inside of their truck.
Funny.

Roof Peaking

Maybe it's just me, (and I hope it's not!) but I find myself watching people as they leave and looking up on their roof.  Here at the Indianapolis KOA, I've stopped people with their antenna up, their DirecTV dish (a big one, too!) up, but the topper was yesterday.
I'm staring across the lot and trying to figure out what this guy has on his roof.  I'd love to know if it's some gadget that I need to have!  I go outside and move to get a better angle.  He comes outside.  I ask him if he's worked on his roof lately that needed a drill driver.  "No," was the reply,"but I haven't been able to find my drill driver for a couple of days."  Sure enough, that's what was up there.  "About 500 miles" was the reply for how long it's been up there!

Tear Down Day

Today is the day before "Get Away Day" which is "Tear Down Day".   Each place we go, we like to have a familiarity of our setup -- two tables outside, solar ground lights, X pen for the dog, raft under the rig, etc.  Just makes us feel more at home.

Whereas we used to tear down the morning of Get Away Day,  now we seem to do things a bit more leisurely.  Of course, another record breaking heat day slowed us a bit, also.

Biggest thing is getting the scooter in the truck, which starts the whole process of loading.  Not sure if everyone has a packing list, but I need one for the order of everything that goes into the truck (to give us that Beverly Hillbillies look as we travel) and to make sure I don't forget anything.

We've never been one to be all hooked up and roll out of the park at the crack of dawn.  Our traditional time to be on the road is 10 a.m. We'll do breakfast, finish packing inside and out, take our showers when we're finished and dump the sewage last thing before we pull out.  Just makes us feel good on the road.

Will be blogging from the road the next two days.  Staying at the Springfield (MO) Elks tomorrow night, a Wal Mart to be determined, then pull into the Indianapolis KOA on Sunday.